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October 12 - Blueprints for Hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
Heaven:
Creation, De-Creation, Re-Creation:
Randy Alcorn's Detailed Chart (click image to access pdf)
October 5 - Blueprints for Godly Lives (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12)
Tristan Harris TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/tristan_harris_how_a_handful_of_tech_companies_control_billions_of_minds_every_day
Live the Quiet Life:
It must be our ambition to lead a quiet life. What are the practices you need to engage in so that you can achieve the goal of a quiet life? Perhaps you need to assess what are the places or things in your life which rob you of peace, what things fill you with anger or fear, what things make you suspicious or even hateful of others? What are the things in your life that rob you of living the quiet and confident life, secure in the knowledge of Christ Jesus at work within you? What do you need to quit listening to? What causes fear, outrage, anxiety in you that is robbing you of your peace in Christ? Will you lay it down or give it up for the health of your soul and mind?
A Quiet Life is an Engaged Life:
A quiet life is living an engaged life with real people in the real world. Always being ready to give an answer of the hope that we have with gentleness and respect but not needlessly stirring up argument and controversy.
seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
A quiet life is a life of shalom within us and then extended out from us.
A Quiet Life is a Prayerful Life:
Prayer allows us to enter into genuine love and concern for those we perceive as threats - prayer calms us when world events shake us to the core. Prayer reminds us who we are in Christ and what our ultimate hope is. We also believe that prayer is powerful -things happen in response to prayer. It’s not only for our benefit to pray but for the benefit of the world. Prayer leads us to a quiet life - that state of being that is at peace in the certain knowledge that Jesus is with me, and if Jesus is for me, who can stand against me?
Mind Your Own Business:
I don't need to have an opinion on every single thing that happens in this world or, especially, on my social media feeds. Even if I do have an opinion, I don’t always need to share it. If I am really shaken by something then I do want to pray about it. If it is an event in my own community then I may want to work for the shalom of my neighborhood.
Our goal is to build up, and build on, the foundation that is Christ. All other ground is sinking sand.
Work WIth Your Hands:
The world judges the validity of your words by the conduct of your life. Paul is making this same point to the Thessalonians: the message that we preach and the life that we live are inseparable. “lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, {WHY?} so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders.
Questions to Ask Before We Speak:
Am I speaking with love?
Am I speaking a blessing or a curse?
Am I speaking with honor?
Am I speaking with arrogance?
Am I doing all I can to live at peace with everyone?
Is this full of grace?
Is this a knee jerk reaction from my own emotions or a carefully considered response?
Am I speaking in fear or in quiet confidence?
Am I, in this moment, being overcome by evil? or, am I overcoming evil with good?
How will those who disagree with me perceive this? Is this behavior respectable and honorable to those outside my faith community?
Am I representing Christ well in this reaction or response?
September 14 - Blueprints for Ministry (1 Thessalonians 2:1-12)
Faithful Stewardship of the Gospel is not only about what you say, but is also intrinsically linked to who you are to what is going on internally within you. Paul describes how they acted, how they lived, towards those they presented the Gospel to. Paul says they were like children, like nursing mothers and like good fathers to these new believers in Jesus.
Note the relational language and what it means:
Like Children:
There is a flipping of the authority structure. The greatest becomes the least. The apostle is the servant. In this Paul imitates Christ who washed the feet of his disciples.
Like Mothers - Gentle & Caring
Gentleness does not mean we don’t stand for anything - but it does mean we are first and foremost concerned with the well-being of those we interact with just as a nursing mother is first and foremost concerned with her child.
Like Fathers
We encourage one another
We comfort one another
We teach one another
September 7 - Blueprints for Church (1 Thessalonians 1:2-8)
A church is made up of people. This means that what makes a church truly spiritually healthy is the spiritual health of the believers who make up that church. Believers who recognize that their actions and their attitudes will either build the church up or tear the church down.
Questions for Reflection:
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What good works are produced by my faith? Is there a need in the church I can fulfill? Is there a way I can serve my neighbor or community with acts of kindness and goodness? https://www.cochranealliance.
com/pages/volunteer-hub -
Do I make every effort to keep the unity of this church intact? Do I labour to love my brothers and sisters in the faith? Is there someone I need to forgive or ask forgiveness from?
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How often do I reflect on the life changing power of Jesus which inspires hope in me? How rooted am I in the reality of eternal life and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in sanctifying me? Have I become more concerned with earthly things rather than the things of heaven?
